Two doulas guided a father to deliver his own baby through Facebook after being stuck in Buffalo snowstorm

While the entire country was celebrating the holiday season, people in Buffalo, New York, were left without food, heat, power and water during a deadly blizzard. The western New York State has reported 28 weather-related deaths, per BBC. During such distressing times, Davon Thomas' wife went into labor on Christmas Eve and he tried his best to comfort her. The couple was unable to be reached by the authorities or ambulances as heavy snow fell and wind gusts approached 60 mph, reports Scary Mommy. 

Davon asked for assistance after being snowbound and having little hope of reaching the Oishei Children's Hospital, located five miles away. His acquaintance made a post in a Buffalo Blizzard Facebook group, and that finally connected him with Raymonda Reynolds and Iva Michelle Blackburn, two doulas who contacted him to walk him through the labor and delivery process. Devynn Brielle Thomas, a healthy baby girl, was delivered by Erica without incident. 

Blackburn told NBC News, "We were using Facebook Messenger to communicate with [Devynn’s] parents and coached them through the delivery, so I watched her being delivered on my cellphone. I was in my living room with my mother and my kids while all this was happening. And when that baby started crying, we all started cheering. You would have thought the Bills made a touchdown."

Davon said, "We’re all OK, thanks to them. As a matter of fact, we’re all leaving the hospital in a couple of minutes. We’re going home." Blackburn said that she and her family were watching football while wrapping gifts when she got a call from Reynolds. She added, "I thought she was calling to check in, you know a girlfriend check-in because we were all trapped in our houses. It turned out to be something totally unexpected." 

Sanitation worker Davon claimed that despite making many calls to 911, the dispatchers informed him that no one could be sent because of the storm. Erica's contractions were spaced three minutes apart a few hours later. At that point, Facebook entered the picture, and Reynolds and Blackburn started working. The doulas gave Davon instructions to gather towels, locate a basin, and boil some water before telling him to assist his wife in taking a hot shower to lessen her labor pain and "get the gravity going," according to Blackburn. 

She said, "Most importantly, Raye had calmed him down. He was very nervous, but he was very open and he was listening carefully and following instructions." Blackburn and Reynolds asked Davon to bring a torch so they could check how Erica was doing as her contractions got stronger and closer together. Soon after, Erica knelt down, and as the child emerged, Davon was there to welcome his daughter into the world and hold her in his arms. 

Blackburn said, "At first mom and dad looked like they were both in shock and the baby looked like she was in shock, too, because she was alert but not crying. But as soon as they picked her up, she started crying and we all started cheering." Devynn Brielle Thomas arrived at 3:31 pm on Christmas Eve, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces, and standing 20 inches tall. Thanks to a truck driver named Angel Lugo, Erica, Davon, and daughter Devynn were able to reach a hospital on Christmas Day.